We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carlos Asse. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carlos below.

Carlos, appreciate you joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Yes. But absolutely not from day one. It’s a competitive industry and a saturated market. In a world where anyone can produce beautiful images thanks to the wide array of amazing cameras and equipment available at very accessible prices, what makes you stand out now is your voice and personality.

I think for me what made the most impact in my career were the values and morals I was raised with. My parents, social circles, schools, etc. I firmly believe that I’m where I am today thanks to my ambition, work ethic, and commitment I was taught as a child. It’s weird to mention this when talking about my career in film and advertising because it can feel very disconnected for some people, but I also think doing gymnastics as a kid and for about 13 years also shaped me as a human, prepared me with tools and gave me perspective in life. My coach was extremely tough on us, but we still have a close relationship to this day because he became a very present figure in my childhood and teenage years.

More and more, I see people struggling with the same thing I struggled when I started my journey in the film industry. We all think we’re ready, we all think we know a lot more than what we actually do. We shoot five projects and we feel deserving of a bigger and better gig. The truth of it is that to the outside world, you’re just as good as your portfolio. Meaning that you are only capable of doing what you can show to the audience (or in a better case to someone with the power of hiring you).
I feel you, people out there, feeling discouraged or unseen. But I promise that just like anything else, this takes reps and a lot of networking (and sadly working for free or very cheap rates for a bit). Just as an olympic athlete needs to train and work out every day, we, creatives, need to do the same.

I think my career started taking off when I became proactive rather than reactive. Meaning that for a long time I was waiting for a project to come to me. I even declined some projects because they didn’t have enough budget, or good creative, or a million other excuses. When I started being proactive, and started writing, producing, and directing projects of my own, just because there was something inside me asking me to go out and put my ideas on the screen, that’s when things started moving and turning and inherently those projects created more opportunities.

The last thing I’ll say is key to having a career in film is gratitude. To the ones that have hired you, to the ones that see your work and admire it, to the ones that see your potential and give you a chance, and to the ones that work with you day and night to make meaningful work. I always say in this industry it’s not the best ones that work constantly, it’s the ones who have a decent amount of skill and talent but are also humble, friendly and easy to work with.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I was born and raised in Mexico City and always loved the arts, though I was a very active kid and never really took them seriously until high school. I was clearly a people’s person from a young age, I love talking and anything that gets my brain spinning. Creativity and imagination were always present at home thanks to my dad, who draws and sculpts as a hobby.

In high school I started realizing that I loved literature more than I thought. And that I loved storytelling, photography, and music more than I thought. And I also realized that I needed a career where I was constantly surrounded by people, working with others, and just spitting out ideas that people would react to and would help me build upon. So I found film.

I moved to LA in 2016 to study for a bit and then started working my way up. Very slowly. Sometimes a year or two would go by and I felt like I was stuck in the same place. But looking back was always reassuring that progress had been made. I still live in LA and I am a freelance commercial and film director and producer.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

50% of film is what we all understand film is. The other 50% is problem solving and “pivoting” to find creative solutions to issues or obstacles that arise last minute. So in a way I feel like I have to pivot every time I’m shooting a project. Learning how to flow and not stress in those situations really helps, and it’s a skill that takes time to harness but definitely pays off.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Kindness, respect, vulnerability, empathy, commitment. Those are my five favorite values when working with a team. Sometimes for big projects I, as the director or producer, am managing a team of over 50 or 60 people in just one day, lots of moving pieces, lots going on at once. I believe that these five values have paved a career for me.

I was one of the many unlucky ones who worked with and for people that are the complete opposite of this. They neglect their crew and cast, they are straight up mean and ill-intentioned, and that really took a toll on me. For a second I really doubted if I wanted to work in an industry that treated people like that.

I think it is in each of us to change that and create a healthy, respectful and inclusive industry.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.carlosasse.com
• Instagram: @carlos.asse
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlosasse/
• Twitter: @carlosasse